such a raunchy video

How do we know that Shakespeare didn't fetishize the woc? In the video, you showed how raunchy the poems about the woc were in comparison to the ones about the white man. Maybe that one poem about how he found her beautiful in spite of white beauty standards can be interpreted as one of those "You're pretty for a ~insert race~ woman" comments. And I think some of his plays had a little racism in them. I can't say I'm absolutely certain as a white boy, but it's likely he had racial sexual bias.

I think that’s very possible. In fact likely.

Like, Othello is a very sympathetic character, but compared to Iago, he can come across as a sort of “noble but easily tricked, physically strong but not as bright” stereotype.

Iago, the villain, uses very racist insults against Othello in the play, and is shown as being a super asshole for it. So I think that the racism we see from Shakespeare is a kind of…stereotyping but not openly hostile kind of racism? Though I havent actually read all of his work, and I’m white so I’m not the expert here.

There’s definitely some antisemitism in Shakespeare’s plays too though, especially Merchant of Venice, which really uses blatant, negative antisemitism as a source of comedy? Coming from the heroes? So that’s….pretty bad.

Like, Shakespeare, for whatever else he is, was still very much a product of his time, and it’s wise to be critical of those aspects of his work even as much as we can enjoy other aspects as well.

So I saw a headline for SGT and it mentions it being really raunchy but then I'm reading through some fans interpretations of it and it's almost funny to me how mainstream will take it as a "raunchy party video" while the fans try to see the deeper meaning to it and really try to connect it to Zayn and everything he's been through. Hope I don't sound like I'm nitpicking. What are your thoughts on it?

Anonymous said:

hi sasha, how are you? hope you’re having a good day! 😘 was just wondering what do you think of sgt mv?

Hi nonnie(s). I’m well, thanks for asking. I do see the video as a meditation on Zayn’s experiences. The biggest hint would be shooting the video at the Zerrie stunt house. Videos are staged and so was everything we saw from that house. Fiction on top of fiction. Clever.

I find it a statement on fame. He’s in the middle of the action, but still feeling disconnected because you’re often surrounded by people who are enamored with your fame and wealth, but not you the person. The booze, sex and weed are for sure the trappings of stardom. I think at times Zayn has felt like a spectator in his own life, rather than an active participant.

Also the monkey and the alligator pinged as a shout out to the 1D days as well as the overall wild party theme. 1D’s done all of that. Except now the gator is real (maybe a metaphor for the perils of their journey) instead of inflatable, the party is a lot more adult and Zayn is a lot more jaded.

Remember the days when there wasn’t even a hand of color in the “Night Changes” video? And remember how 1DHQ tripped over themselves lying about why (It was an assistant! It was Sophia!)?? Now we’ve got a video full of POC. Progress. I appreciate the little victories.

‘You’re still going?’ Your best friend asked with her kimbap-filled mouth. You frowned slightly at the disgusting sight in front of you. You could see some of the kimbap spitting out of her mouth for goodness sake. You hand her a tissue and nodded your head.

'I promised him.’

'That was before you guys fought.’ She argued with your decision. She had always been arguing with your decisions since you knew her. It was one of her charms really.

You shrugged continuing to eat. It wasn’t like you wanted to go to Seattle to meet his mom when the two of you were in this state of relationship, but he had made plans with his mother weeks ago. You couldn’t possibly cancel at the last minute.

'When was the last time you spoke to him?’ She asked after taking a sip from her green tea, finally clearing her mouth of any leftovers.

'Last week.’ You answered not slightly affected by the question. You knew it sounded absurd to go and meet your boyfriend’s mother when you’re not currently even talking to said boyfriend but what else were you supposed to do? You picked up another kimbap with your chopstick and put it inside your mouth.

You could see the horrid look your best friend was sending you but you just ignored it all together. You really had no other choice. You didn’t know if meeting his mother was even important anymore but you knew you still wanted to make a good impression at the very least.

'Is he even still your boyfriend?’ She laughed at her own joke making you rolled your eyes.

Aries: Take a walk or go running together. Toss around a football, soccer ball or basketball with them to help them blow off steam. Take them out dancing or go see a gut-busting comedy. Distractions and lots of activity are key.

Taurus: Give them a shoulder or head massage. Burn a soothing scented candle. Draw them a hot bubble bath with a glass of wine or chocolate. Indulge and relax their senses to relieve their stress.

Gemini: Surprise them with an interesting new novel or a puzzle book, like Sudoku. Send them sweet and funny texts. Have a debate about current events. Offer them a listening ear so they can vent, no matter how long.

Cancer: Give them lots of TLC and (you guessed it!) comfort foods. Put on their favorite movie or cartoons. Snuggle up with them in bed. Give them a lot of affection. Offer plenty of gentle advice, healing words and sympathy.

Leo: Play a goofy game, like charades or musical chairs. Give them a back rub (Leo rules the back). Take them out for a nice lunch. Compliment their hair, their outfit and their talents - give them a healthy ego boost.

Virgo: Offer to lighten the load by doing one of their daily errands. Tidy their space for them; help them get reorganized. Do a craft or garden together, or anything creative that gets them working with their hands. Remind them not to be too hard on themselves.

Libra: Take them to a fun social event. Do a partner activity together: chess, checkers, a two-player video game, tennis, etc. Go to an art gallery together or another beautiful place, like a department store. Remind this perfectionist that they’re loved just for being themselves.

Scorpio: Provide them with tenderness and empathy. Show them that they’re a special person in your life by pointing out their special qualities that you envy and admire. Reminisce over happy memories together. Give them some time alone to recharge when they’re hurt.

Sagittarius: Take them for a day trip - get them out of the house or their routine and somewhere new and exciting, like a theme park or a museum. Make them laugh with raunchy jokes and silly videos. Try a new kind of food together. Provide them with positive thoughts and optimism.

Capricorn: Give them concrete solutions to their problems. Be honest, open and totally loving with them. Buy them something simple but useful, like a new appliance or a gift card. Surprise them with flowers or a greeting card to bring a smile to their face. Lighten up their day with something bright.

Aquarius: Compliment them on their unique ideas, consideration for others and originality. Do something playful and unique together, like face painting, going to a carnival or seeing an art movie. Tell them how special your friendship is. Just let them know that they can be themselves around you.

Pisces: Take them out into nature, especially near the water. Go with them to a farm or a pet store and visit with animals. Encourage them to draw out how they feel or fuel their emotions into art. Play soothing music for them. Take them to get a massage and a pedicure. Give them lots of hugs.

A huge thank you to all who participated in this fest, even if you didn’t get to finish, y’all made this a treat. Here are the final fics with their authors. The final resting place for these fics will be at our Fics Page.

Prompt 1: AU where GD is that annoying neighbor who always plays music too loud or parties too hard and makes a ruckus coming home and Top would hate him so much for ruining the peace of his home but he saw GD one time and thought he was the most beautiful boy in the world so he keeps going over to “complain” but always loses focus when he sees GD’s face.

Prompt 12: Top is away for work in another country. during his trip home, seungri, unable to wait for his return, sends him a series of raunchy texts and nude selfies/videos. top gets so worked up that he has to go jerk off in an airport bathroom.

Prompt 44: Schoolgirl! AU. A and B go to the same school but belong to completely different worlds. A is popular, head of the student union, cheerleader. B is a goth and founder of the taxidermy club. What happens when A’s prom date stands her up and she finds a spark with the most unexpected of people.

Prompt 3: Taeyang was sick and tired of taking care of everyone. Even though he was the mother figure, the rest of Big Bang sometimes became too much for him to handle. Seungri and Daesung with their endless childish bickering, GD with his occasional bossiness and TOP with his constant MIAs on group meetings. Ironically, TOP is the one that realizes that Taeyang has practically exhausted himself and goes to give him some comfort and affection, away from the other three members.

When I turned sixteen, masturbation became something of an artform. I was a late bloomer who hit puberty at fifteen and grew up in a relatively strict household. I was never really good at anything, never really excelled in any particular field, but with whacking the weasel, something just clicked. I switched from overhand to underhand, perfected my stroking methods, and learned a few new twists and turns along the way. Eventually, it started to become a problem. I found myself taking more frequent trips to the bathroom at school. Showers started running the water bill straight into the ground. Even the slightest feeling of something bumping up against my junk sent me into a frenzied red-zone of netherly flagellation. More than once, a gentle breeze from my bedroom window was enough to have me hammering the railroad spikes on the track of my shametrain like there was no tomorrow.

She: Their Love Story is a tale of passionate female intimacy and the struggles of overcoming society’s repressive demands to be true to themselves.

Bua is a successful business woman with the “perfect life”. Following a sudden cancer diagnosis she leaves her family behind to ease their pain and hide her destiny. Residing by the sea, she befriends June, an undemanding independent female photographer with a sensual energy and spirit.Meanwhile, Da has her reputation ruined when her “perfect” boyfriend emails out raunchy video clips of her. In order to escape the embarrassment she accepts a job to write a feature about the love life of lesbians in Bangkok. She convinces Bee, a charming tomboy, to be her research subject.As their lives cross, they all embark on a journey of emotional and sexual discovery: With Bua at the end of her life journey, she is granted one last chance to discover the profound meaning of passionate love. And as Da’s work relationship with Bee turns sexual she starts to ask herself if it is real love